“She didn’t give me any trouble.” Though the toothy grin she aimed at Asher made me nervous.
“She likes females.” He spat in her direction. “It’s males she hates.”
“How did you round them up so quickly?”
“You heard the horn?” He scratched Gris’s cheek. “It’s used to call ursus in from the paddock.”
“You recognized Farrow and wagered the others were Eranian stock too. You let the ursus bring us right to you.” In the aftermath of the stampede, I had forgotten about the horn sounding. “Clever.”
He took my compliment in stride. “I thought so.”
“What’s that on the litter?” The elder guardsman inspected the bundle of cloth, plucking the net.
“Leave it be.” Asher clasped the male’s shoulder. “We’ll talk later. After I’ve had a drink.”
“Won’t hear me turning down that offer.” He jerked his chin toward us. “What about them?”
“I need help getting them down,” Asher said, “and a place to put them once we have.”
“No.” We could last a while longer. “The matter of our ward must be settled first.”
His gaze swept over me, pausing where blood seeped through my coat. “Are you sure?”
“I am.” I adjusted my sleeve. His frown told me I’d made it worse. “Where is Maven Lourdes?”
“Look at the balls swinging on her.” The guard chortled. “You thought the maven would come all the way down here and receive you personally? If Maven Lourdes or the paladin had sent word to expect you, you wouldn’t be bleeding now. We don’t harm guests.” He shrugged. “Unless asked to.”
I persisted, “Paladin Vaughn sent a messenger.”
He spread his hands. “None arrived.”
My hard-earned paranoia made me wonder if he was lying. “I must speak with your maven.”
Asher attempted to placate me. “We’ll make the maven aware of your arrival, and your papers.”
“That’s not good enough,” I snapped. “Our ward must be secured. Now.”
“Perhaps I can be of assistance.” A third male joined the other two.
This one was lean and almost my height, though he wore his stature with greater ease than I did.
His clothes were well-cut, if plain, conveying wealth without extravagance. He was outfitted for travel, and I wondered where he had come from just now. Snow caked his boots and dusted his head. He shoved a hank of tawny hair from his forehead, revealing wide-set eyes in a starling shade of blue that contrasted his pale complexion, drawing my focus to the glow of his wind-blistered cheekbones.
The weight of his regard set me on edge. When our eyes met, his were so cool I shivered.
The confidence he exuded made me ask, “Are you Paladin Rhys?”
The corner of his elegant mouth twitched. “No. I’m afraid not.”
Blue Eyes offered no further clues to his identity, but he did set a black leather bag by his foot.
“Then are you Maven Lourdes’s heir? Armand, if I recall correctly.”
“You do, and I’m not.” He removed his gloves. “Armand is otherwise occupied this evening.”
“Perfect,” I exhaled. “We rode all this way, and this is our reception.”
“Bite your tongue,” Asher warned under his breath.
“I’m in enough pain, thank you.”
“You’re hurt?” Blue Eyes shrugged out of his coat. “I assumed the blood was his.”
He must have meant my brother—or one of my brothers—since a few of them were bleeding.
“It’s all mine, I assure you.”
Ever helpful, Ghedi eased to my side. “Perhaps now would be a good time to fetch your healer.”
Blue Eyes kicked the black bag with his foot. “That would be me.”
“Forget the healer.” I scowled at Ghedi. “I must speak with a member of the ruling family.”
Blue Eyes cast me an amused look. “That would also be me.”
“You’re the— Of course you are.” I snapped my fingers at Asher. “Give him our papers.”
“I don’t need them.” Blue Eyes dismissed the guard. “I’ve been expecting you.”
At my wit’s end, I asked, “Who are you?”
“Henri.” He inclined his head. “I am Lourdes’s second brother and this nest’s healer. Will I do?”
Though his expression remained earnest, I believed he was mocking me. “I have orders to—”
“—deliver Lailah to my sister,” he finished for me.
“Don’t speak her name.” I flinched. “It’s the same as poking her with a stick.”
He gave a curt nod. “I will remember that.”
“See that you do.”
His gaze skipped from Ghedi to Fynn. “These males are your brothers?”
“Who else could they be?” I arched a brow.
“Husbands, lovers, friends,” he said. “There are several possibilities outside of blood relations.”
“Not married, haven’t had sex in months…” I counted off the answers on my fingers, “…and do you really think these two are the types of friends I would keep? I do have some standards.”
“Hey,” Ghedi complained.
I glared at him. “What?”
Henri absorbed our scowling match without blinking. “Siblings it is, then.”
“Why do you ask?” Ghedi glowered at him. “What difference does it make?”
“Female visitors are rare this far north, especially this time of year.” He shrugged. “A beautiful female enters the nest, and I’m not supposed to be curious?”
A flush swept up my throat into my face. Even my nose prickled.
Ghedi’s warning growl strangled when I kicked him in his side.
“What was that for?” He rubbed the area above his hip.
“If he wants to compliment me, let him.” I hooked a thumb over my shoulder. “If you’re going to snarl and snap like an ursus, get a stall.”
“Do you two need a moment?” Henri asked.
“No,” we said in unison.
“Very well. As to your request…” He fished in his pocket. “I won’t allow you to see Lourdes.”
“I see,” I gritted between clenched teeth. My feminine charms must be rustier than I’d thought.
“Do you?” He began rolling a gold coin between his fingers at his side. “My sister is maven, and it is my duty to protect her. Our clan is uninfected. In fact, no northlander has reported a single case of the plague your ward is famous for spreading. If not for Maven Kokyangwmana’s letter assuring me your ward is not contagious, we would not be having this discussion, and certainly not face-to-face.”
Letter? No one had mentioned Mana was sending a letter. She was Paladin Vaughn’s wife and a spirit walker, a sort of spiritual leader among her birth clan, the Salticidae. The herbs we had used to sedate our ward had been grown, dried, crushed and packaged in correct doses by the maven herself.
“I can respect that.” Loyalty to his sibling, to his clan, was commendable.
“Until such time I am satisfied that your ward is not a threat to my sister or to our people, I must insist you and your brothers be kept isolated from the rest of our nest. I regret we are the sum of your welcome. I meant to consult with Braden, but I didn’t anticipate your arrival for several more days.”
“I wanted to arrive as soon as possible.” The faster we secured employment, the better.
“If what Mana wrote is accurate, I don’t blame you.” He glanced at the litter. “May I see her?”
“Soon you can see her all you like,” I assured him. “You made preparations for her arrival?”
He absorbed my refusal without argument, and I was grateful for the reprieve.
“I had a cage built and lined with Araneidae silk,” he told me. “She can’t escape once the lock is set. I plan on keeping her for observation in my laboratory. It’s on a separate network from the main tunnels. No one will bother her down there or even know she’s here. She wil
l be quite comfortable.”
“Her comfort isn’t my concern.” I rubbed my eyes. “All I care about is whether she can escape.”
“I assure you, she can’t.” He challenged me with a look. “I designed the cage myself.”
“Impressive.”
He spread his hands. “We all have our talents.”
Indeed we did, and I planned to make the most of my powers of persuasion.
“So, Henri,” I asked sweetly. “How do you intend to transfer her into your cage?”
Lines creased his brow. I almost heard him discarding possibilities as they came to mind.
“Free my brothers,” I suggested. “You’ll want them there when she gets agitated.”
He gestured toward the portly guard he called Braden. “Do as she asked.”
Braden hesitated. “You sure that’s wise?”
Henri’s gaze returned to mine. “What choice do we have?”
Oh, he had choices all right, six of them, and we were eager to provide the services he required.
“I could ask the other guards.” Braden glanced between us. “Plenty of help there for the asking.”
“To ask, you’d have to speak with them.” Henri shook his head. “I won’t risk it.”
“But—” Braden began.
Henri cut him short. “Do as I said.”
With a furrowed brow, Braden set off down the aisle to release my brothers from their bonds.
I all but rubbed my hands together at our good fortune.
Henri rolled his coin across his knuckles, pausing to flip the disc in the air before he began again on the opposite hand. “Not to look a gift ursus in the mouth, but how much will your help cost me?”
“A fair wage,” I promised, “nothing more.”
He exhaled. “There are four of you?”
“Six.”
“By my estimation, there are four.”
“Your estimation is off by two.” I gripped Fynn’s shoulder. “Fynn and I will be mended soon.”
“Who will pay to have you mended?” He palmed his coin. “Or is that part of your deal?”
“I can afford you.” Though I loathed parting with any of our savings.
He made a thoughtful noise low in his throat then began rolling his coin again.
Our negotiations spluttered and died. Henri didn’t set his price or ask what mine was.
To break the silence, I asked, “If you’re so concerned about infection, then why bring us into the stables? The plague started in livestock, and yet you gave our ursus lodging here among your own.”
His faraway expression lifted. “As I said, had your arrival not surprised me, I would have given orders for your ursus to be housed in the summer stables, with a groom and provisions of course. As for you and your family, you would have been escorted to an appropriate hatch to await my arrival.”
Recalling my manners, I gave him my best wishes. “I pray we cost you no lives.”
He answered just as politely, “I have every confidence you won’t.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” I swallowed hard to ward off another bout of nausea.
He eased forward. “Are you all right?”
Ghedi shifted to his right, blocking Henri from approaching me.
I lifted a hand to keep Henri at bay. “It’s nothing I can’t handle.”
The throbbing in my shoulder had ignited to a slow burn in my lungs, searing on each inhale.
“Here we are.” Braden returned with my brothers in tow. “They’re a quiet lot.”
He had no idea.
“Can we hurry this along?” It was all I could do not to slide to the floor, curl up and stay there.
“We can try.” Henri circled Gris. “Two of you carry the litter. It’s light, a pair can handle it.” He reached for Fynn’s wrist and checked his pulse. “Two more of you bring him to the sick ward. Don’t let him roll off the table. He has one head injury. He doesn’t need another.” Henri touched my thigh. “Do you need any help, or can you walk to a spare room? Is your shoulder wound your only injury?”
“She can’t walk,” Ghedi answered for me. “Her ankle’s broken.”
Henri ran his finger along the top edge of my boot. “Do you think you and I can manage her?”
Heat crept up the base of my neck. Upon closer inspection, he found me to be as bulky as Fynn?
“Manage me,” I repeated. Our ward was carried, Fynn was brought, but I was managed?
My anger must have confused Henri. He clarified, “Deinopidae females are…tall.”
“Tall.” Could he have infused an ounce more distaste in the word? “What does that mean?”
“That you have long legs,” he replied calmly.
My hackles rose. “The length of my legs is none of your—”
“Hush.” Ghedi jabbed my side.
Henri trailed his fingers down my calf as if making the point I was now very much his business.
“Asher, show Zuri to a spare room.” He tapped my good heel. “I will set her ankle there.”
I groaned at the thought of the bones being realigned. I had wished it wouldn’t come to that.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” Ghedi nudged Henri aside. “You’ve gone pale.”
I ground my palm into my eye. My temples throbbed, I ached all over and my skin burned.
“I’m good.” I could last a while longer. “Fynn should be examined first.”
“What about our ward?” Ghedi posed the question to us both.
I looked to Henri. “Am I a fool for hoping both things can be accomplished at once?”
“Braden will see to your ward’s safe delivery.” He faced the guard. “Wait for me in the bastille. I must be in the room when she’s caged to activate the lock.” Henri considered me. “Once Lai—your ward—is contained, I’ll examine Fynn. I believe he has a mild concussion, but head injuries ought to be treated promptly in order to prevent the onset of any complications in the event of misdiagnosis.”
My eyes widened.
“Don’t fret.” His lips curved a fraction. “I’m seldom wrong.”
“You’re shivering.” Ghedi caught me snuggling deeper into my coat.
Henri seemed likewise concerned. “What happened to your shoulder?”
“Asher happened to it.” Ghedi’s anger flared. “Or his dagger did.”
Henri narrowed his eyes on Asher. “Is what he’s saying true?”
“They were armed.” Asher shot a glare my way. “She refused to drop her weapon or cooperate.”
While Asher muttered about stubborn, net-wielding females, Henri’s expression darkened.
“You can’t fault a guard for doing his job,” I said tiredly. “We had an accident on the road. I had to secure our ward, and I couldn’t wait for his permission to do it. Asher did nothing I wouldn’t have done under the circumstances. We each made our choice. It’s done. Besides, the dagger was slender. Its blade can’t have done too much damage. Our ward was the one kind enough to twist the handle.”
Asher made a fist and held it over his heart while addressing Henri. “It won’t happen again.”
“I would hope not.” Henri exhaled long and slow. “Times are difficult, but I hope they aren’t so dire we begin killing visitors at our border.” One last look at my shoulder, then he directed, “Get me a blanket to place over her mattress or else her sheets will be ruined when I stitch the wound closed.”
My skin crawled at the thought. I hated needles. You would think as much as they unnerved me, that I would make a better effort not to run afoul of them so often. “Can I share a room with Fynn?”
“That is inadvisable,” Henri said. “Your brother needs rest, and so do you.”
“I could keep an eye on him.”
“I have no doubt that you would, which defeats the purpose of me telling you to rest.”
I tried again. “He would react better if a friendly face was there when he woke.”
“Fynn may be disoriented upon waking,” Henr
i countered. “He may not recognize you.”
“He may not know me, but he certainly won’t know you.” I smiled. “Where’s the harm?”
Ghedi clasped Henri’s shoulder. “Once she sinks her teeth in, you can’t shake her loose.”
Henri’s gaze lowered to my mouth. “That’s good to know.”
The longer he stared, the harder it became to resist wetting my lips.
My fangs slid from my gums, sharpening my grin. “Don’t believe everything he says about me.”
“I know better than most what little brothers know of their sisters.” His expression shuttered. “If your presence proves detrimental to either of you, you will move into a separate suite. Understand?”
I crossed my heart with a finger. “I will be on my best behavior.”
He snorted softly. “In which case, I will prepare for the worst.”
I narrowed my eyes, which won me a genuine smile from him.
He should do that more often. Smile, not taunt me. It melted degrees from his chilly veneer.
He gestured between Asher and Braden. “I expect one of you to remain in my laboratory. I want someone I trust to have my back while we transfer their ward.” He draped his coat over his arm, then hefted his bag and turned aside. “If you will excuse me, I have an errand to run before joining you.”
“An errand?” I called after him. “Can’t it wait?”
“I’ll make it quick.”
“Quick he says.” I admired his retreating backside. “Never mind the walking wounded.”
“You can’t walk.” Ghedi’s brow furrowed. “What are you looking at?”
My cheeks tingled. “Nothing.”
“Strange.” Ghedi’s voice lowered to a snarl. “I could have sworn he said his name was Henri.”
Braden spared me by clapping his hands. “You lot heard him. Get your arses moving.”
He unhooked the litter from Gris and helped lift it onto Tau and Kaleb’s shoulders, then ushered Malik around Gris’s side. Together they hefted Fynn off the boar’s back and into an awkward hold.
Once they settled him between them, they shuffled past us.
“What are you two waiting for?” he panted. “Don’t stand there watching the show.”
With great effort, I twisted in the saddle. “So much for the famed Araneidae hospitality.”
Araneae Nation: The Complete Collection Page 94